BC’s mineral exploration sector expresses support for mineral exploration in Flathead
Monday, 20 April 2009 17:40
Vancouver, BC – April 20, 2009 – British Columbia’s mineral exploration community today expressed support for continued exploration and assessment of the mineral potential of the Flathead Valley. The Flathead has significant mineral potential value to all British Columbians that should be considered and evaluated appropriately before any land use decisions are made that may unnecessarily alienate the opportunity to understand that value.
Important scientific knowledge gained through responsible mineral exploration provides the public with a better understanding of the naturally-occurring mineral resource values in a region and the potential economic diversification and investment opportunities.
“For the benefit of all citizens, the hidden value of minerals should be properly evaluated and considered as part of any discussion about land access and use,” said Gavin C. Dirom, President & CEO of the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia (AME BC). “Along with recognizing other societal values, we need to better understand and be informed about the various mineral development opportunities that exist in the Flathead.”
Proper assessment of mineral exploration or proposed mining projects is essential to determine the mineral potential in this region. Disallowing adequate assessment denies the validity of science and undermines the environmental assessment and community consultation process. Modern Canadian mineral exploration and mining activities are conducted in a safe and responsible manner, protecting the surrounding environment while they are providing the basic materials that we all use in our advanced society of the 21st century. At present, British Columbia has a stringent environmental assessment process in place. The regulations and policies here are some of the most rigorous in the world.
“In the East Kootenays, mining is the major provider of family sustaining jobs. The Flathead is living proof that an integrated land base works and still retains its wildlife and environmental values,” added Ross Stanfield, President of the East Kootenay Chamber of Mines.
BC’s world-class mineral exploration and mining sector will continue to dialogue with the public, industry and governments in British Columbia and Montana to help build a safe, prosperous and beneficial mineral exploration and mining industry.
"A mineral deposit is very rare and valuable and the reality is that the likelihood of an exploration project becoming an operating mine is very low, but the potential benefits to a region can be very high indeed and need to be considered." concluded Dirom.
About AME BC:
AME BC represents thousands of members including geoscientists, prospectors, engineers, entrepreneurs, exploration companies, suppliers, mineral producers, and associations who are engaged in mineral exploration in BC and throughout the world. Through leadership, partnerships, and advocacy, AME BC promotes a healthy environment and business climate for the mineral exploration industry. AME BC is the predominant voice of mineral exploration in British Columbia.
Last Updated on Monday, 20 April 2009 17:51
Special Meeting: Mineral Exploration Permitting, Mountain Caribou Issues and EKCM Annual General Meeting
Thursday, 12 March 2009 20:48
Place: St Eugene Mission Resort(Shuswap Room)
Date: Wednesday, March 25
Time: 1:00 pm
Staff from the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Southeast Regional Office (Cranbrook) and Land Use Coordination Branch (Victoria) will be meeting with interested members of the East Kootenay Chamber of Mines for an information exchange. The initial meeting will consist of two sessions:
1) Exploration permitting and 2) Mountain Caribou Management.
MEMPR staff will present information on both issues, and will be available for informal discussion and answering questions.
In the case of the permitting session, the objectives are to raise awareness of recent changes to the process and the current expectations of regional staff, and to hear feedback on the system and how it could be improved. Land use staff will present draft Best Management Practices and operational guidance for working in caribou habitat, and invite feedback that will inform the writing of the final draft.
Upon the conclusion of the MEMPR session, the EKCM will be holding it's Annual General Meeting. Topics of discussion will include the upcoming Minerals South 2009 conference, the Core Storage Project, and review of other area initiatives affecting the East Kootenay region.
All members of the general public are welcome to attend the information session and the AGM.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Last Updated on Wednesday, 18 March 2009 21:25
BC Government Proposing Changes to Mineral and Placer Tenure Requirements in BC
Tuesday, 20 May 2008 00:00
The East Kootenay Chamber of Mines is informing it's members and all other holders of mineral and placer tenure to provide feedback to government (Rick Conte - Mineral Titles Online) on proposed changes to the mineral tenure system. (Mineral Titles Online) Meetings have/or are being held across the Province to discuss possible areas of changes including,
Acquisition Fees
Work Registration Fees
Exploration Work Levels
Cash Payments (Cash in Lieu of Work)
New Claim Sizes
PAC (Portable Assessment Credits) Should they keep the system the way it is?
Time when claims expire when work or cash has not been applied. (Currently, it is 1 second after midnight)
Work Reporting Criteria (Should it be reduced?)
Crown Granted 2 Post Claims (Should work be mandatory on these type of claims)
10 Years of Work applied to the Claim (Currently, you may apply a maximum of 10 years ahead of the expiry date of a claim) Should this be changed?
Claim Grouping (Is this system working?)
Qualifications for Free Miner's Certificate FMC (Too easy?, Not Necessary?)
The EKCM hosted a meeting with Rick Conte (Mineral Titles Online) and interested stakeholders to discuss a wide range of issues currently impacting the tenure system in BC. Several key issues addressed by Mr. Conte on behalf of government included concerns that there are huge tracks of mineral title that have been acquired by a select few individuals, and it appears that these tenure holders have no intentions of doing work on the ground. Mr. Conte also expressed that Government has not devised a solution to deal with nuisance stakers and is looking for solutions within the mining community. Mr. Conte also suggested that British Columbia has some of lowest work requirements for mineral exploration in Canada and that he expects government would be making changes in this regard.
While our Chamber recognizes that there is a significant challenge in dealing with nuisance tenure holders, we do not wish to see changes to BC's mineral tenure system that negatively impact legitimate explorationists.
Herein lies the challenge!
Most, if not all of the recommendations to date, require fee increases as a disincentive to insincere titleholders (for eg. higher acquisition fees). Some other comments relate around the possibility of changes or elimination of the "Cash Payment" system whereby you can apply cash as a substitute to work on the ground.
Minerals South 2009 1st Circular now available for download
Sunday, 01 March 2009 10:19
The East Kootenay Chamber of Mines is excited to be hosting the 5th annual 2009 Minerals South Conference. You can find all your information for the upcoming conference right here on our website.
If you are interested in presenting a talk or are planning on attending the conference, you can find out more information by downloading the 1st circular clicking on the links below.
Mineral Assessment Reports for East Kootenay's now stored at EKCM office
Sunday, 16 March 2008 00:00
A portion of the collection of duplicate mineral assessment reports up to 2005, which has been housed and maintained by the MEMPR in the Cranbrook Regional Office, has been loaned to the EKCM for our ongoing use. This part of the collection represents all reports in the collection covering exploration in the East Kootenay portion(Fort Steele Golden Mining Divisions). The Chamber of Mines of Eastern BC (http://www.cmebc.com/) has all the rest of the reports for the Kootenay Boundary region on loan. These reports are already available electronically as the Government has scanned the assessment reports and put them on the Internet. But as you may notice some of the maps etc. are easier to decipher in paper form. While the EKCM must maintain the safe keeping and integrity of these transferred records we will make them available for public viewing. If you would like to look at any of these paper copies, you must make an appointment as we are staffed only by volunteers. While we believe we have most of the assessment reports for our region, there may be a few missing so if you are traveling here to look at a report/map, you want to send us an email with the report numbers so we can verify we have it. Thank you to the Cranbrook Regional MEMPR Office Staff for their help in keeping these valuable paper records available to us right here in the Kootenays.
Vancouver, BC – April 20, 2009 – British Columbia’s mineral exploration community today expressed support for continued exploration and assessment of the mineral potential of the Flathead Valley. The Flathead has significant mineral potential value to all British Columbians that should be considered and evaluated appropriately before any land use decisions are made that may unnecessarily alienate the opportunity to understand that value.